Whoever imputes anything to another person before a third person in a manner likely to impair the reputation of such other person or to expose such other person to hatred or contempt, commits defamation, and shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding one year or fined not exceeding twenty thousand Baht, or both.
Section 326 establishes criminal defamation — unlike most Western countries where defamation is purely a civil matter. Imputing something to a person before a third person in a manner likely to impair reputation is punishable by up to 1 year imprisonment and/or 20,000 Baht fine.
Criminal defamation has been part of Thai law since the original Criminal Code. Section 328 provides enhanced penalties for defamation by publication or broadcast media.
Truth is only a defense if the statement was made in good faith for the public benefit (Section 330). This is frequently used in cases involving social media posts, news articles, and online reviews.
Disclaimer: The English translation is unofficial and for informational purposes only. The authoritative text is in Thai as published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette (Ratchakitchanubeksa).ข้อสงวนสิทธิ์: คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษเป็นคำแปลอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ เพื่อวัตถุประสงค์ในการให้ข้อมูลเท่านั้น ข้อความที่เป็นทางการเป็นภาษาไทยตามที่ประกาศในราชกิจจานุเบกษา